Santos says he’ll advocate for prison reform in 1st interview since commutation
In his first string of television appearances since having his prison sentence commuted by President Donald Trump, former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., said he’s focused on prison reform. The convicted former legislator also maintained that he didn’t commit fraud, despite pleading guilty to several charges, including wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, in August 2024.
During a Sunday appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Dana Bash, Santos likened his short prison stay to eating a “very large slice of humble pie,” and asserted that he’s focused on the future.
‘Looking to the future’
“I’m looking at this very simply, Dana. I’m going to look to the future,” Santos said. “I’ve learned a great deal and a very large slice of humble pie, if not the entire pie, for the experience that I had.”
According to Santos, he had just gotten out of 41 days in solitary confinement when news broke of his commutation. The former legislator said he learned of the development from other inmates.
“I have been granted a second chance,” Santos said. “I have made a very concise decision to apply that for good and use that to make amends with my community, with my friends, with my family, and those who I have left a sour taste in their mouth.”
Responding to his critics
Santos went on to explain that he hopes his actions moving forward will address the ongoing rhetoric from some of his harshest critics, including his former GOP colleagues in New York, including Reps. Nick LaLota and Andrew Garbarino.
In a social media post following the news of Santos’ truncated prison term, which was initially supposed to last seven years, LaLota wrote, “George Santos didn’t merely lie — he stole millions, defrauded an election, and his crimes (for which he pled guilty) warrant more than a three-month sentence. He should devote the rest of his life to demonstrating remorse and making restitution to those he wronged.”
Similarly, Garbarino said in a statement to The Washington Times, “The victims of his crimes still have not been made whole, including the people he stole from and the voters he defrauded. He has shown no remorse. The less than three months that he spent in prison is not justice.”
When confronted with those accusations, Santos seemed to equate his innocence with that of Jesus Christ. “I’m pretty confident that if President Trump had pardoned Jesus Christ off of the cross, he would have had critics,” Santos said. “So that’s just the reality of our country.”
He also maintained that he didn’t commit fraud, telling Bash of the people who donated to his campaign, “The investment was made to win a race. I won that race. There was no fraud there.”
Trump announced Friday via Truth Social that he had commuted Santos’ sentence. Santos pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in August 2024. In April, he was sentenced to 87 months in prison.
Before reporting to prison in July, Santos said he didn’t expect any clemency from the president but would continue supporting him. “I’ll not waver in my support for him,” Santos said at the time.
An advocate for prison reform
As for the future, Santos said his short time behind bars inspired him to advocate for prison reform, and specifically, solitary confinement.
“It’s actually creating recidivism because it’s not doing what it’s supposed to do,” Santos told Bash of the U.S. prison system. “I told this to the president, that I’d love to be involved with prison reform, and not in a partisan way.”
The former congressman represented New York’s 3rd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican from Jan. 3, 2023, to Dec. 1, 2023. He was ousted following a House Ethics Committee finding of “uncharged and unlawful conduct.”
At the moment, the former lawmaker said he has no intentions of returning to the political fold.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
